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bees

Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work

May 20, 2023 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Red-tailed bumblebee courtesy Wikimedia Ivar Leidus Hear ye, hear ye! The queens have emerged! We’re talking about bumble bees (genus Bombus). For several weeks each spring, any bumble bee you see is a queen – and very hard at work. She must construct her kingdom. [Read more…] about Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, pollinators, Spring, Wildlife

The Carpenters (Ants & Bees) Have Arrived

May 6, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

carpenter ant courtesy Wikimedia user Muhammad Mahdi Karim Why do ants suddenly appear every time Spring is near? Just like bees, they long to be close to you – especially if your home is made of wood. Carpenter ants (genus Camponotus) and the eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) both nest in wood and are frequent visitors to my log home. [Read more…] about The Carpenters (Ants & Bees) Have Arrived

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: ants, bees, insects, nature, Wildlife

Yellowjackets: A Primer

September 4, 2022 by Paul Hetzler 2 Comments

eastern yellowjacket courtesy Beatriz MoissetI’m not one to shed a tear when authoritarian rulers die, but once they’re gone, picnics become a lot more dangerous. As summer wanes, the original queen in every yellowjacket wasp colony dies – having a few thousand babies in the course of one season is enough to tire any Queen Mum to death. [Read more…] about Yellowjackets: A Primer

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, nature, Summer, Wildlife

Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass

September 4, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

grass courtesy Wikimedia user J.M.Garg This spring, we went the no-mow route on about a quarter-acre of our lawn, the last remaining groomed piece we hadn’t turned into vegetable garden or permanent meadow. What a relief! During the hottest, driest spells over the summer, the grass wasn’t growing anyway. The lawn we did mow during the drought – mostly pathways – turned unhappily brown. [Read more…] about Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, butterflies, drought, gardening, insects, nature, pollinators, Summer, Wildlife

Dire News In New York’s First-Ever Pollinator Distribution Survey

August 20, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

honey bee forager collecting pollen courtesy Jon SullivanNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a multi-year survey of hundreds of pollinator species in New York State.

It’s hoped the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey 2017-2021 will provide the foundation for future pollinator research and conservation efforts. [Read more…] about Dire News In New York’s First-Ever Pollinator Distribution Survey

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: agriculture, bees, DEC, insects, local farms, nature, pollinators, wildflowers, Wildlife

DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products

February 12, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

honeybee courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced plans to reclassify certain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide products as “Restricted Use” effective January 1st, 2023. [Read more…] about DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, birds, butterflies, DEC, gardening, insects, Landscape Architecture, nature, pollinators, pollution, Wildlife

Making Ink From Oak Galls: Some History & Science

November 13, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Developing Oak Marble gall caused by the insect Andricus kollari on Quercus robur Chapeltoun, North Ayrshire, Scotland by Wikimedia user Rosser1954What do the following items have in common: the Declaration of Independence, Da Vinci’s notebooks, Bach’s musical scores, Rembrandt’s drawings, Shakespeare’s plays, and the Magna Carta?

Give up?

These examples, along with countless other documents ranging from the historically important to the more mundane, were all recorded using iron gall ink, which is made – in part – from the protrusions created after oak gall wasps lay their eggs within oak trees. [Read more…] about Making Ink From Oak Galls: Some History & Science

Filed Under: Arts, History, Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, Material Culture, oaks, Printing, Science History, trees, wasps

Bee Anarchy Is Bad for Picnics

September 3, 2021 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

George-Cruikshanks-Pic-Nic-disturbed-by-a-Swarm-of-Bees-1826I’m not one to shed a tear when authoritarian rulers die, but once they’re gone, picnics become a lot more dangerous. Toward the end of summer, just in time for Labor Day picnics and County Fairs, the original queen in every yellowjacket wasp colony dies.

It’s not the stuff of Hamlet or some far-reaching conspiracy, it’s just that having a few thousand babies in the course of one season is enough to tire any Queen Mum to death. [Read more…] about Bee Anarchy Is Bad for Picnics

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, nature, Wildlife

Honey Bee Keepers, Curb Your Enthusiasm

August 12, 2021 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

honey bee forager collecting pollen courtesy Jon SullivanWith their marvelous interpretive-dance routines, complex social life, and delicious honey, honeybees are widely respected, but they’re anything but sweet to wild pollinators. In fact, a surfeit of honeybees is a big threat to our native bees and butterflies. [Read more…] about Honey Bee Keepers, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: bees, butterflies, gardening, hummingbirds, insects, local farms, nature, pollinators, wildflowers, Wildlife

Digger Wasps: Diverse and Showy Insects

August 7, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Digger WaspsLast summer while working in the garden, I was startled when a fast-flying wasp dropped a plump pumpkin spider on the soil in front of me. The wasp landed, grabbed the spider, and wiggled backwards into a small hole I hadn’t noticed, quickly covering the entrance as if to say, “nothing to see here.” It was the first time I’d seen a digger wasp provisioning an underground nest. [Read more…] about Digger Wasps: Diverse and Showy Insects

Filed Under: History, Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, nature, pollinators, wasps, Wildlife

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